Cabinet clears ₹10,211-cr under DRIP project

The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) has approved a ₹10,211-crore project to improve the safety and performance of select dams in India. The dam rehabilitation and improvement project (DRIP)--phase II and phase III is financially supported by the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. India is the third-ranked country in terms of the total number of dams, after the US and China, and it has 5,334 big dams and around 412 dams are under construction. Almost 80% are over 25 years old and need rehabilitation and improvement. DRIP will be implemented over a time of 10 years in two phases - each of six years with two years overlapping from April 2021 to March 2031. The first phase of this project started in 2012 and up till now, 207 dams have been repaired in six years, but their ownership lies with the states to decide about the dams to be included in DRIP. This project is on a challenge mode, and the states which will make more progress will get more funds.